Cave Story (Four Years Late)

Because I'm playing it for the first time, and lots of people here have lots of opinions about it, and to relieve some pressure from the poor eShop thread.



This is round about where I was until recently, only with less guns and health.  It's quite fun, but has its flaws, as I mentioned in the aforementioned thread.  I really like the bosses, and I'm starting to enjoy the story, especially how it's told.  The 3DS version looks a bit pixellier (that's a word now) than other versions shown on Google Images, though - or is it just me?

The images on Google might be from the original freeware version. I was fortunate to play this a few years after its original release, before later picking it up on Steam.

The characters really are great in this - Balrog is fantastic.

I do love the characters & its great how each one sort of get a theme song when they pop up.

The music is cracking - one of the first game soundtracks I ever downloaded!

Wait, is this the DSiWare Cave Story? Without the squiffy 3D? In Europe? I didn't hear about this! Joy! Can you actually get it on the DSi as well?

I love Cave Story despite it's rough edges (though like Jay said, the absolutely lovely chiptune music has a lot to do with it!). Did you know the original PC one was made by one guy entirely back in the early 2000s? He taught himself pixel art, programming and music making before the modern indie craze took off and made this entire, sprawling thing alone, without the modern tools for this sort of thing, and gave it away for free! I both respect and envy his talents...

Zaphod_B wrote:

He taught himself pixel art, programming and music making before the modern indie craze took off and made this entire, sprawling thing alone, without the modern tools for this sort of thing, and gave it away for free! I both respect and envy his talents...

A lot of people attribute the indie boom to guys like Edward McMillen and Jonathan Blow, but I reckon without guys like Pixel paving the way, we wouldn't have the successful indie market we do today.

JayMoyles wrote:

Zaphod_B wrote:

He taught himself pixel art, programming and music making before the modern indie craze took off and made this entire, sprawling thing alone, without the modern tools for this sort of thing, and gave it away for free! I both respect and envy his talents...

A lot of people attribute the indie boom to guys like Edward McMillen and Jonathan Blow, but I reckon without guys like Pixel paving the way, we wouldn't have the successful indie market we do today.

Agreed - Cave Story was pretty much the first indie game for a long time to get to consoles. Not including XBL's Publish Whatever Shit You Made In 5 Minutes-fest.

Also, as you raise that point about Pixel's music; I look up a chiptune sample program, as became popular/useful with Cave Story starting the retro craze, and it turns out he wrote that also.

Jimbob wrote:

JayMoyles wrote:

Zaphod_B wrote:

He taught himself pixel art, programming and music making before the modern indie craze took off and made this entire, sprawling thing alone, without the modern tools for this sort of thing, and gave it away for free! I both respect and envy his talents...

A lot of people attribute the indie boom to guys like Edward McMillen and Jonathan Blow, but I reckon without guys like Pixel paving the way, we wouldn't have the successful indie market we do today.

Agreed - Cave Story was pretty much the first indie game for a long time to get to consoles. Not including XBL's Publish Whatever Shit You Made In 5 Minutes-fest.

Also, as you raise that point about Pixel's music; I look up a chiptune sample program, as became popular/useful with Cave Story starting the retro craze, and it turns out he wrote that also.

Didn't Nicalis have to bring it over to WiiWare in ~2009, for its first official release? I know Cave Story was unofficially ported to other consoles in the past but that's really just homebrew, which only a small niche ever experiences (myself excluded).

Not to understate the importance of Cave Story, but I believe you're understating the importance Microsoft had with Xbox Live Arcade (and to a lesser extent, Xbox Live Indie Games) -- it was really forward thinking to have a service like it in 2005.

I'd also like to add World of Goo to the landmark indie games list, it was around its release when I truly began to pay attention.